The present invention relates to coatings for disease control. More particularly, the present invention relates to coatings that are effective against toxins, precursors to these coatings and methods of forming the coatings.
Toxins are biologically-derived molecules that cause disease. They include prions, proteins, polysaccharides, enzymes, nucleic acids and histones. They are, by definition, non-living in contrast to other disease vectors such as pathogens.
In the past, much less research has focused on methods of deactivating toxins compared to killing pathogens because it has been assumed that the most convenient way to render a toxin ineffective is simply to purge the toxin from a system. However, recently it has been found that toxins can be deactivated by materials so that they no longer exhibit their toxic effects. This discovery has partly resulted from an increased interest in toxins caused by events: for example, various protein-based toxins such as ricin and Botulinal toxin have been become more widely available for use as biological weapons.
The greater emphasis in the past on the killing of pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, yeasts and also viruses has caused much effort being made to develop substances that kill these pathogens. This research has resulted in the design of many substances collectively called ‘biocides’ that are effective against pathogens. However, little effort has yet been made to develop substances that deactivate toxins. What research that has been done to date has shown that different mechanisms operate in killing pathogens and in deactivating toxins. Therefore, materials that kill pathogens are often not effective against toxins and, as a result, new materials need to be developed that are effective against toxins.